Premiere Watch: Mystery Queen 2, Grand Prince

Woohoo, Season 2 of Mystery Queen is here! The quirky whodunit comedy is back to answer all of the questions that left us hanging at the end of Season 1 (or else!), and this weekend we also have an original drama from cable network TV Chosun, the new historical court romance Grand Prince.

Reasons to watch: Choi Kang-hee and Kwon Sang-woo make an adorable pair as a mystery-novel-obsessed ajumma and a detective who end up solving unusual (and really interesting) neighborhood crimes together, and we’re getting a legitimate Season 2 that continues the original story, penned by the same writer. This season we pick up with the heroine having made her dream come true by joining the police force. I’m probably going to miss her being a busybody ajumma and having to lie to her mother-in-law just to go sleuthing, but it’s not like she’ll get a personality transplant just because she has a badge now. We’ve also been promised some romance for the second season, which I’m pretty excited about. They’ve had an entire season to become bickering reluctant partners who end up trusting each other implicitly, so I can’t wait to throw some romance into the mix. I’m sure it’ll only make them bicker more, and what’s not to love about that?

Reasons to watch: This drama is a story about fictional Joseon royals that takes Grand Prince Suyang and his younger brother Grand Prince Anpyeong as its central motif, and reimagines their battle for the throne as being deeply intertwined with their love for the same woman. Joo Sang-wook and Yoon Shi-yoon will play princes who both fall for Jin Se-yeon. It sounds so much like Seven Day Queen just based on character types and plot, but maybe all brotherly love triangle court dramas sound the same on paper. My main draw would be Yoon Shi-yoon (he’s just so good), though I fully expect Joo Sang-wook to shine as the power-hungry prince; plus there’s PD Kim Jung-min of Princess’s Man and Joseon Gunman and writer Jo Hyun-jung of Maids at the helm, which may be reason enough to check it out. That or Yoon Shi-yoon’s mane of glory.

February 26, 2018 at 10:00 AM

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I started watching Mystery Queen when it aired, and I loved it...but ended up putting it on hold, then I heard about its ending and kinda forgot about it, but I guess now I have to finish it and catch up on s2

March 1, 2018 at 5:05 AM

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I haven't actually watched Mystery Queen yet either, but this does sound good - I guess we should get to Season 1 first. :-)

Same with me and Grand Prince, too. Sageuks in general still haven't really grabbed me yet. But oddly enough, while I do need some more incentive in terms of plot to want to check out Grand Prince, I must say that am extremely curious about Joo Sang-wook as a scheming evil prince. :-)

I always like seeing actors in historical clothes - some people seem to suit them so well, while others just never seem authentic in them. Which is weird, because what if they'd been born in that time period? (Never mind, I'm rambling... ;-) )

February 26, 2018 at 11:29 PM

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I know right 😕

Anyway, seems like Ryu Hyo-young's character probably will outshine Jin Se-yeon's here, so it is up to her to do a good job. Based on what I saw her, she was pretty decent and her acting style also seems to be different from her twin sister.

February 26, 2018 at 8:41 AM

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The way the prince be staring at the camera in one of the poster is probably telling me is a flower boy the king looks more manly buy she always in up with the prince. Does anyone know a drama where the manly man wins besides DoTs

February 26, 2018 at 8:55 AM

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thats me... i watched it live and can still recall how angry and disappointed i was seeing it end that easily.
i had to make me realize it was just a drama and can end that way... still i was angry for many days after that...

February 26, 2018 at 7:26 PM

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yes they are few things to be sorted our from season1. and am hoping it will be much more fun ride than last season.
but at same time i'd not be able to handle another hanging end. i need a happy and satisfactory ending *wish ful thinking*

February 26, 2018 at 7:22 PM

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you know whats my motto "hope for the best prepare for the worst"
so i am just hoping *with my fingers crossed* for the best.
second.. i still feel the first gave us hints of their could be possible love line just to tease us and after knowing how much it was loved i am just guessing they will make it happen.... *still praying*

February 26, 2018 at 8:55 AM

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That's make me so happy, and I can't wait to see the scene from which the Queen of Mystery picture is taken (it cannot be their real wedding so... is it an act? are they on a mission?).
Also, I will watch and love Yoon Shi Yoon in whatever he does... I do hope I don't have to cringe from the leading lady though (finger crossed!). Let Yoon Shi Yoon's mane of gloring and sparkling eyes slay me one more time!

February 26, 2018 at 9:11 AM

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Yes! I’m hoping that we get more recaps going again on the site with these shows and other upcoming shows like Pretty Noona, Live, My Ahjusshi, and The Great Seducer... although the plot of that last one kinda makes me uncomfortable.

February 26, 2018 at 11:35 AM

February 26, 2018 at 9:14 AM

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OMG Mystery Queen 2 is already here!? I thought it would be another couple months away for some reason. YAY! I loved the first season.

I love Yoon Shi-yoon and Joo Sang-Wook, but in my opinion Jin Se-Yun is one of the worst actresses out there. Also, seems like the whole royalty-fighting-over-one-woman-historical is so overdone now. Will probably pass on this one.

February 26, 2018 at 10:02 AM

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Definitely going to check out "Mystery Queen" season 2, but I'm still not sold on "Grand Prince", not because I don't love Dong Gu oppa enough (because oh gosh, my hearteu EVERY SINGLE TIME he portrays a sad and tragic character T.T Because he's so good ~!!!) but my lukewarmness towards Jin Se Yeon is making me go "Meh ~~", but, OH THE CINEMATOGRAPHY, BECAUSE IT'S THE PD OF "PRINCESS MAN" & "JOSEON GUNMAN" *cue heart eyes.... heart eyes everywhere"

February 26, 2018 at 11:20 AM

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The "currently airing" shows FOUR premieres this weekend. Somebody must be trying to fill an Olympic-size hole in their schedules.
At least I'll have shows to check out while I'm waiting for Hwayugi subs.

February 26, 2018 at 11:34 AM

February 26, 2018 at 11:30 AM

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Thanks for the reminder for GRAND PRINCE, GirlFriday.

I've been anticipating it since learning that Yoon Si-yoon is one of the leads. He did a fine job in MIRROR OF THE WITCH. It will be interesting to see how this drama plays out in comparison to SEVEN DAY QUEEN, which was epic. Luckily we're dealing with fictional characters, so the story will not be constrained by history.

February 26, 2018 at 11:38 AM

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Mystery Queeeeeeen! I've been waiting since last week! KBS said it was gonna start last week but all they did was air season 1 highlights *pouts* Now that it's here I'm so anxious for it to have the same quirky charm as the first season. Please be more like Age of Youth 2 (instead of Bad Guys 2).

February 26, 2018 at 11:55 AM

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I hadn't heard of Grand Prince at all. And I love sageuks with fighting brother princes (There are so many of them, it's definitely a Thing). So glad you're doing the premiere watch posts! I'll be tuning in.

February 26, 2018 at 12:07 PM

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I want to watch "Mystery Queen 2", but I will wait for the reviews first to make sure that this season will have a complete story and conclusion. So once I make sure that season 2 actually concludes the story, then I will catch up on where I left off on season 1 and start season 2!

February 26, 2018 at 4:09 PM

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I'm ready to admit that I have some screwed-up guilty pleasure when it comes to the Bad Boy wanting the female lead who knows better. And not just bad boy, but, actually dangerous bad man. Maybe because it forces the otherwise fairly passive female lead to protect herself? Or to show strength in survival and speech rather than litteral strength in the "strong independent woman"?

It does not even have to be in the romance department. What initially drove me in "Goddess of Fire, Jung Yi" was that she was wanted by Japan, and I was hooked... until it didn't deliver.

Then Seven-Days Queen came and it met all my expectations, and EXCEEDED them. The antagonist and female lead had excellent chemistry, but you still supported her with the male lead (or, as Chae-Kyung's actress does, supports CK far away from both men). I wanted to see more of Yeonsangun and CK, the pain both of them go through as Yeonsangun turns worse and worse and CK has to realize that her brother-in-spirit is gone and is someone that is a danger to her and her family, yet she would be willing to sacrifice herself to protect them. The show had my guilty pleasure, knew it is not acceptable in the real world, knew also it is a drama, and in the end had a balance that suited me just fine.

And now we get Grand Prince, and I'm lucky because I don't know the actress so I don't care about her acting yet. People are worried that the story will be almost the same as Seven-Days Queen, and I am too. At the same time, I'm kind of hoping for a different take of the story, like have the female lead actually go with the mane of glory, and see how they would go with that. Keeping in mind that it is a drama and not being a serious depiction of the real world, to see if they eventually fell in love or ended in a Lima/Stockholm Syndrome, or if there would be a psychological battle between the two as the female lead tries to protect the male lead while the mane of glory wants her to love him while he knows he cares about the throne more.

Then again, perhaps I am expecting too much, or different, of the show; I want the female lead to be an active character, because I don't really care about bromance. I don't want the female character to be just an object to be argued about between the actual main characters.

But then again, Seven-Days Queen had so many opportunities to be bad yet wasn't. So here is to hoping Grand Prince will follow that.

February 26, 2018 at 7:44 PM

SEVEN DAY QUEEN set the bar high in its fictionalized treatment of historical personages Yeonsangun and his brother and sister-in-law. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the PD and writer can come up with a good, unique production. Synopses can be misleading, so I'll watch to see what unfolds. I'm getting a few vibes of Wang So, Wang Wook, Wang Yo, and Baek-ah from MOON LOVERS in the fraternal friction department. Maybe the artiste who has no desire for the throne will end up changing his tune as a matter of survival.

I took a gander at AsianWiki for the rest of the cast, and I'm pleased to see some great veteran sageuk actors. The wonderful Kim Mi-kyung and Lee Ki-young (San's dad in THE KING IN LOVE) will play the heroine's parents. Choo Soo-hyun (king's concubine Boo-yong in TKIL) may bring her previous talents as a poisoner with her. ;-)

At first I thought Ryu Hwa-young of MAD DOG is in the cast, but it's her twin sister. LOL.

I also noticed that there's a third prince in the dramatis personae. He appears older, and could be an interesting wild card. Perhaps he is a half-brother and crown prince, so that little brother isn't the only rival for the throne.

At this time there is no mention of the king or queen, but there is a queen mother.

I really hope that GRAND PRINCE is recapped because so much can get lost in translation of subtitles. I've been jonesing for a good sageuk to live-watch since THE KING IN LOVE, and look forward to seeing old buddies from the recaps for REBEL and SEVEN DAY QUEEN, too. Manseh!

March 2, 2018 at 1:02 AM

I'm just so excited yet worried, in particular because love triangles can be hard to make and it is so easy to make it look like the girl is to blame that the boys lost their bromance.

I am also curious how the antagonism will work. I tried to watch The Princess' Man because it apparently had the "antagonist is obsessed with the female lead", but in that show, I felt he was not strong enough? He basically just went along with everything that happened, while the female lead was so strong the conflict was not really between them. Which makes sense and is in-character, because in TPM, the conflict was about the King and the romantic couple, not the love triangle. In SDQ, the triangle was a big part of the conflict, so you had to feel like Yeonsan was a foe to be reckoned with despite his craze.

But again, I keep assuming that the drama will be about the female lead, but the trailers seem to make it very clear that it is mainly about the two brothers, so maybe I should just lay low with my expectations.

I do not know much about the actors listed, but it helps to know that they have experience and will make the best of the roles they get. :)

I also hope they will recap. I'm sure they will review the first episode, but who knows if they will continue. Considering how similar it might be to SDQ, it would be fun if one of the recappers from that drama did the recap for Grand Prince, definetely! Fortunately, they have the new form of recap where they at least let us discuss the episodes after some weeks ^^

February 26, 2018 at 4:35 PM

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aah jin se yon, here I am giving you another chance because I do like the story so please be good,

you make me realised why gaksital is missing something, inspiring generation and doctor stranger is a mess on their own, flower in prison also left me with wanting more from you, I need the grip so please . . .

March 2, 2018 at 10:51 AM

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as much as I love Yoon Shi Yoon, but I can't put myself to watch Jin Se Yeon. she's just bad. maye I'll check on the first episod to check on whether or not she's improved.
I don't get why she always landed leading roles.

February 26, 2018 at 6:17 PM

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I have not seen nor heard of a historical romance with a prince/king/princess/queen that ends happy, aka main couple married, ALIVE, and happy together. My mental reasoning for these unhappy endings is always because history is more often than not unhappy, so if the writers decide to stay true to the historical facts (for some unknown reason) this is going to lead to sad endings.
I'm saying all this because having fictional princes gives me a teeny tiny bit of hope that Grand Prince might, just might have a happy ending. *fingers crossed*

February 27, 2018 at 8:13 PM

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If the Yoon Shi Yoon's character is Grand Prince Anpyeong then I'm going to lose a little hope in regards to happy endings... I know Anpyeong's wife in real life her last name is Jung and Jin Se Yeon's character's last name is Sung I believe. Maybe the drama will prove me wrong and have a happy ending. *fingers crossed*

February 26, 2018 at 7:21 PM

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Will be a long time before any sageuk will have my heart as Seven Day Queen did but I am looking forward to watching an epic sageuk again.

I like Jin Se Yeon and Yoon Shi Yoon together. They look adorable in the trailers so I can't wait to see their sweet romance. I was surprised to learn Yoon Shi Yoon is 31! He doesn't look it but I'm looking forward to finally seeing him in a more manly role. I know she has her detractors but I think a lot of her previous roles just weren't suitable for her and she was to inexperienced for them. She did a good job leading her last drama and from what I've seen of this production Jin Se Yeon is well-cast and will do a great job. This director was behind The Princess Man which is one of the best romantic sageuks ever so Grand Prince - Drawing Love is in good hands.

February 27, 2018 at 7:11 AM

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They trying to make us believe JSY can have one much less TWO guys madly in love with her when girl has the personality of a thumb? Nawh. & Don't even try to argue with me on this one. THERE WILL BE NO CHALLENGE TODAY.

February 27, 2018 at 9:02 AM

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Those 2 posters look stunning!!!

I'll start watching QoMs1 maybe next week.... found alot of good reviews about the drama...

Yoon shi yoon is the reason why I'm really anticipating the Grand Prince,(I really love the guy, ok!?) well Joo Sang wook is another plus factor...not so sure about the girl though?! anyway the trailers are so good and left me hanging and wanting to have more.... i just hope it has a different blend of a plot and not just our typical SANGUEK=LOVETRIANGLE story... *hopefully, wishing, and pleading to drama god* that they can pull this off well*

February 27, 2018 at 8:04 PM

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I'm super excited about the upcoming Grand Prince drama! But does it really have to be about Grand Prince Suyang though? How many dramas did we have the past about him?? I already can tell this will be tragic since we all know what happened to Grand Prince Anpyeong...... Nevertheless I'm hyped about this drama, I loved Princess' Man and Joseon Gunman so I have high expectations for this one too.

March 2, 2018 at 12:33 AM

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I think they ended up making fictionalized versions of historical real people because of how far off they will go with history, so maybe that is a hint that Anpyeong won't die? I assume he died, I didn't find anything on him in Wikipedia.

March 2, 2018 at 8:41 PM

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Yeah, they probably will make fictionalized versions for the drama, there's so much they can spin with real historical facts.

There isn't much info about Anpyeong on wikipedia, I found his information in a website called Sillok history, it has a lot of historical information from the Joseon Dynasty. Real life Anpyeong was sentenced to death along with his 6th brother

February 27, 2018 at 11:11 PM

February 28, 2018 at 5:16 PM

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I wasn't sure what to expect of Grand Prince when I first heard of it. I like all the actors in it, so I would have watched it either way. Then I go ahead and look up the trailers and behind-the-scenes videos. I really like how Chosun TV (network airing Grand Prince) gets up and personal in the BTS videos. If you haven't seen them, just goooo watch watch watch! Kind of feel in love with Yoon Shi Yoon even more while watching them.

March 2, 2018 at 9:08 PM

March 4, 2018 at 1:14 AM

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I have actually succumbed to watching the first episode of Grand Prince, since I'm a sucker for sageuk (sans magic please), and eeeppp, it seems pretty good. So far. Heh. And that's watching with 80% English subs. (Don't get me wrong, there are heaps of sageuks out there that I dropped first episode in.) Well, the first episode seems to be a combination of a flash-forward and a flashback. I do admit I was hesitant at first because of Jin Se-yeon—I didn't half-mind her in Gaksital, believe it or not, wondering about that myself—but the sucker for sageuk in me just got suckered into watching this show.

The opening seems to give me that Princess' Man vibes, especially with the background music. The setting itself seems like those sageuks done in the early to mid-2010's—it is polished but has that sageuk feel (if you get what I mean) and not those light, airy film-like modern sageuks. Jin Se-yeon and Ryu Hyo-young also seem to hold themselves well against their male counterparts, given the little screen time that they have in the first ep.

I still have to watch the second episode to get a better feel of the story and the characters but that may well be on Tuesday (since we are ahead of time, and so they air stuff the next day, and subs are completed a day after).

March 5, 2018 at 6:24 AM

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I hate to be a downer, but I am definitely on the fence about the first 2 episodes of Mystery Queen 2, though I got up at 5 in the morning to watch both episodes before kocowa first look cut them off. I love these characters so much, but for some reason the whole romance got off to a strange start for me. Grand Prince is so melodramatic - maybe I need to ease back into it... this is the first historical drama I have seen any of the lead actors in - and that always gives me a major knee jerk! I am fully planning or at least hoping to fall in love with both of these dramas, once they really get under way. Fighting!

March 6, 2018 at 3:28 PM

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Yoon shi Yoon's mane of glory! The first 10 minutes are of him scruffy and fly away hair............... my kind of man. I'm not too much into the love triangle thang, but i'll keep checking it out for YSY-- He is definitely "that good"!!!

March 18, 2018 at 8:00 PM

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I will comment here my impressions until chapter 4 because I do not know if DB will make another post about Grand Prince.

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I'll start at the end of the fourth chapter: thanks Ja Hyun. Thanks for jumping, thanks for being a female character that does not wait for the two main actors to decide for her. I thought that this drama would follow the line of Q7D, but I changed my mind; although it follows the parameters of a romantic melodrama (ALL the clichés are here), the dilemmas of power and ambition are much more present. I like it.

I do not think there is anyone capable of empathizing with Lee Kang, at least I feel nauseous every time I see him. I'll just admit that he's a solid character (for now). He assumes his complexes and does not abandon his ambitions for nothing. That makes him twisted and interesting. I will continue to hate his controlling manias, I detest how he relates to everyone around him (please stop holding her by the arm) and I really hope that Ja Hyun does not try to see kindness in his despicable heart (cofcofShinChae-Kyungcofcof).

Hwi is perfect. Not only because Yoo Shin Yoo plays it. He has an aura of purity that even hurts me. I suffer because I know that his innocence will leave him until he is very hurt. Hwi lives in the shadow of other people's ambitions, and also tries to take care of his responsibilities as prince to reconcile his relatives; he intends to protect others, accepting the limits of its own title.

The precipitate romance causes me a little distrust, but the connection that they achieved as teacher-student through painting seemed beautiful to me. The dynamics between them is good. Unfortunately, lies (hiding information is a lie?) will begin to leave traces.

Just now, every time I start bored the characters manage to surprise me (a little). I am waiting for more (and for recaps).

April 15, 2018 at 6:31 AM

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I haven't watched a period kdrama in a while. Now I remember why. Most plots are just too meandering with too many conniving, evil, power hungry villains, that make it difficult to watch. But I will try to watch Grande Prince to the end because of YSY.